2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV review: A little bit better, a lot more affordable

It is really bought a new glimpse and some new tech, but not substantially else has adjusted for the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Nevertheless, mix these scaled-down top quality-of-lifestyle tweaks with a additional enticing cost tag — commencing close to $five,500 more cost-effective than last yr — and the small Bolt starts to glimpse like a very huge value.

New glimpse, new frame of mind

The most noticeable transform to the 2022 Bolt EV is the new entrance fascia, which trades the playful, toy-like glimpse of its predecessor for some thing additional grown-up and top quality in look. Slim LED signature lights sit where by the Bolt’s vast eyes utilized to stay. In the meantime, the real LED headlamps have been moved down to the place formerly occupied by the foglights. This flip-flop — which the Chevrolet Trailblazer also pulls off — gives the look of tremendous-slim, concept auto headlights through the working day though however giving enough illumination at night time.

The two light-weight clusters are related by an angular slash of gloss black trim that helps to frame the Bolt’s grille. Close to again, the taillights are narrower gone are last year’s 3D squiggles, changed with a simpler oval outline that much better blends in with the hatchback’s rear glass. The bumper is also current with a thinner reflector bar, a repositioned solitary reverse light-weight and a larger space of black plastic that helps visually raise the rear end.

Interior updates

The modifications to the cabin are most likely even additional comprehensive. The 2022 Bolt options an all-new middle console that connects additional in a natural way to the dashboard than the earlier floating structure. The shift lever is changed with a vertical bank of PRND buttons and a focused button for the just one-pedal driving mode. The new shifter also sits forward of the cupholders, which are now substantially less complicated to accessibility.

Through the cabin, you may uncover additional top quality feeling materials. Although I’m a small unhappy to see the outrageous, superior-contrast white concept go, the new glimpse is substantially considerably less obnoxious and very likely appeals to a broader established of motorists.

Front and middle is a ten.8-inch display now dwelling to Chevrolet’s Infotainment three program. This interface is substantially less complicated to navigate than the aged, Bolt-specific set up, and is considerably less reliant on standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for basic performance — although both equally mobile phone connectivity suites are however supported and can now be related wirelessly.

The cabin tech options Chevrolet’s user profile process which accommodates for the preferences of numerous motorists. Chevy Infotainment three also options onboard applications that can be downloaded and run by the Bolt’s 4G LTE relationship and has a range of bespoke EV options. This includes menus for monitoring the power impression of different auto methods, cost scheduling and the skill to limit the cost degree to increase battery well being in excess of time.

Charging and selection

The Bolt excels as a commuter auto, boasting 259 miles for every cost in accordance to the EPA’s estimates. That selection estimate is unchanged from last yr regardless of an at any time-so-a little bit scaled-down sixty five-kilowatt-hour battery (a 1-kWh reduction). This selection is however sufficient to edge out the level of competition from Hyundai, Kia and Nissan, but carries on to slide behind the Tesla Model three.

House charging is probably more rapidly with this year’s update to up to eleven.five-kW Stage two charging — although you may have to have to make confident that your dwelling can aid the excess recent and install a forty eight-amp wall charging unit to acquire complete benefit. This minimizes the cost time to close to 7 several hours as opposed to the ten-hour estimate if you plug the twin-degree charging wire straight into a NEMA fourteen-fifty outlet. Of course, you can also trickle cost at almost any standard one hundred ten-volt wall outlet, but that only provides close to four miles of selection for every hour.

Getting been spoiled by more recent, additional upmarket EVs, I was a contact disappointed to learn that the Bolt can however only DC speedy cost at close to fifty five kW max. That signifies acquiring a enhance to eighty% ability at a speedy cost station will take about an hour. Which is not a dealbreaker — in particular looking at the Bolt’s cost and its selection between those people fees — and at the very the very least, DC speedy charging is now a standard characteristic, so at the very least you happen to be not spending additional to get it.

During a week and 201.9 miles of testing, commuting and managing different city errands, I averaged a calculated 124 miles for every gallon equivalent — truly a contact better than the EPA’s 118 mpge estimate. I did not hypermile or treat the accelerator like an eggshell, possibly. In simple fact, I spent an overall afternoon testing the Bolt’s Activity mode in the hills and however ended up with much better-than-decent efficiency for the week.

Electrical come to feel

Talking of Activity mode, the Bolt options a couple distinct driving plans. You can find Regular and Activity, the latter adjusting the accelerator sensitivity for additional responsive driving. Then again, with two hundred horsepower and 266 pound-toes of fast electric powered torque, the Bolt feels fantastic off the line in possibly mode.

There are also two regenerative braking modes. The standard placing coasts when you carry the accelerator and creeps forward a little bit at lower speeds. The just one-pedal mode right away decelerates proportionately as you carry, at some point bringing the auto to a full prevent without having obtaining to tap the brake pedal. Now accessed with a button — rather than the aged Bolt’s poorly labeled L shifter place — motorists can decide on just one-pedal mode as the default placing, which can make acquiring utilized to this exclusive EV solution even less complicated and additional predictable.

Of course, the Bolt’s regen paddle returns for 2022, allowing for the driver to right away accessibility complete regenerative braking by pulling a paddle on the left spoke of the steering wheel. Personally, I uncover this characteristic too complicated to modulate and substantially considerably less all-natural feeling than just just one-pedal driving.

It is really a great factor the Bolt is so torquey mainly because the managing is however very underwhelming. The Bolt corners properly sufficient, but its significant weight and lower-rolling-resistance tires can be a handful when driving speedily on a twisty mountain move. Thankfully, the lower middle of mass, light-weight steering and responsive suitable pedal retain the Bolt feeling energetic on the freeways and city environments where by it’ll invest the bulk of its time.

Adaptive, but not Tremendous cruise control 

The 2022 product yr update sees the addition of adaptive cruise command to the Bolt’s bag of optional methods — a sore omission in earlier product decades which is now a $375 update for the optimum 2LT trim degree and the most powerful rationale to update from the 1LT foundation product. The process operates easily in prevent-and-go targeted visitors and compliments the standard lane-retaining steering guide on the highway. 

All 2022 Bolts arrive standard with a rear-see camera, forward pre-collision alerts with pedestrian detection, lane-departure alerts and automatic superior beams. Stepping up to the 2LT spec updates to a encompass-see camera and blind-place monitoring with lane-transform pre-collision alerts.

Regrettably, the Bolt EV however isn’t going to offer you Typical Motors’ palms-absolutely free Tremendous Cruise highway driving guide. For that, you may have to have to update to the more recent, larger 2022 Bolt EUV.

The cost is suitable

The 2022 Chevy Bolt EV builds atop an by now stable cost-effective EV method with enhanced aesthetics and a additional upmarket inside. New infotainment and the solution for adaptive cruise fill gaps in the cabin and protection tech that enable to retain this EV competitive. And though I might like more rapidly DC charging, the slight velocity advancements to dwelling charging — where by you need to get most of your juice anyway — shouldn’t be overlooked.

Nevertheless, the most effective new characteristic on the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV is the lessen cost. Starting up at $31,995 (like a $995 destination cost and right before any EV tax incentives), the Bolt is $five,500 more cost-effective than last yr and is now the most cost-effective long-selection electric powered auto in its class. Only the forty-kWh Nissan Leaf and the Mini Cooper SE are more cost-effective — and you may get at the very least a hundred less miles with both equally. As examined, this 2LT spec with top quality audio ($595) and the adaptive cruise command update ($375) has a pre-incentive sticker cost of $36,165 — just about $10K considerably less than any other recent member of the 250-mile electric powered compact club.

The Bolt was by now, in a lot of means, the just-suitable daily EV. Now, considerably less highly-priced than some competing gasoline cars, it’s additional powerful than at any time.